Mounting Bracket for Wall Mounted Items

ABSTRACT

A mounting bracket for releasably mounting an article such as a sign or picture frame to a substantially flat surface such as a wall. The bracket has an adhesive disc securely attached to one side of the bracket and the opposite side of the adhesive disc has a releasable adhesive face for attaching to the wall. A tool inserted into the mounting bracket applies a rotative force to the mounting bracket for applying a shear force to the releasable adhesive face which causes the adhesive face to release from the wall. The mounting bracket is releasably mounted to a sign, which allows easy installation and removal of the sign from the wall.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and claims priority of nonprovisionalpatent application Ser. No. 16/741,075 filed on Jan. 13, 2020 whichclaims the benefit of provisional patent application 62/796,192 filedJan. 24, 2019.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a unique bracket and system for mounting wallsigns, photographs, posters, and other items of the type that are oftenfound in offices, retail establishments, commercial establishments,factories and homes.

One embodiment of the present invention is designed for mounting wallsigns. Wall signs are generally made to be permanently orsemi-permanently affixed to a wall or door. Adhesives, nails, screws,hooks or other fasteners are commonly used. One method of mounting is toaffix the sign to the wall by means of screws or nails that pass throughthe sign plate into the wall. In order to remove the sign, the screws ornails must be removed from the wall making removal difficult. Anotherproblem with this method is that it damages the wall by leaving holeswhere the screw or nail was inserted into the wall. Another method is toaffix a hook to the wall and then hang the sign from the hook. Theproblem with this method is that the sign can be easily removed byanyone, even by unauthorized persons. This presents security issues dueto the ease with which the sign can be removed, whereas Applicant'sinvention provides a more secure sign as compared to merely hanging asign from a hook. Still another method of mounting the sign to the wallis to use adhesive. Depending on the adhesive used, the sign may be soeasily removed from the adhesive that it falls off the wall, or if theadhesive is so string, the sing may be permanently affixed to the walland only by removing a thin layer of the wall or paint, can the sign beremoved.

Another embodiment of this invention is designed to mount picture framesto a wall or other vertical surface. The same problems are encounteredwith mounting a picture frame as described above in mounting a sign.Generally, the means to mount picture frames is to use hooks, nails oradhesives, none of which adequately solve the problems discussed above.

Applicant's invention solves the problems stated above by utilizing aunique mounting bracket that can be used to mount signs, picture frames,hooks or other items on a wall, door or other substantially flatsurface. Applicant's inventive mounting bracket allows the bracket andframe to be easily removed leaving no residue on the wall and no damagethe wall.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a bracket that canmount various objects such as a sign, picture frame, or hook to a wall,yet easily be removed leaving no damage to or residue on the wall.

Applicant has solved this problem by providing one or more mountingbrackets which are affixed to the wall by means of an adhesive wafer.The adhesive wafer is of the type commonly known in the industry andvarious configurations of products using this adhesive are sold by 3MCompany under the trademark “COMMAND”. These adhesive fasteners securelyadhere to a wall and are removed by applying a shear force to theadhesive fastener by means of pulling vertically on the adhesivefastener when the fastener is secured to a wall. This stretches theadhesive fastener until the shear force is sufficient to release thefastener from the wall. The fastener is released from the wall withoutdamaging the wall surface. However, if a tensile force, perpendicular tothe wall, is applied to the adhesive fastener, the adhesive fastenerdoes not easily release until a great force is applied to the fastenersufficient to pull the fastener from the wall which generally meansremoving a portion of the wall surface along with the adhesive fastener.There is an advantage and disadvantage to using these adhesivefasteners. If properly removed, they are easy to remove and do notdamage the wall surface. However, if the user does not properly apply ashear force to the fasteners to remove them from a wall, and insteadapply a tensile force, damage to the wall surface certainly results.These adhesive fasteners can be made in any one of a number ofconfigurations, such as rectangles, squares and circles.

Applicant's mounting bracket is designed to be mounted on the wall bymeans of releasable adhesive fasteners such as those of the 3M CompanyCOMMAND type. The adhesive fastener is attached to the mounting bracket.The mounting bracket is received in a complimentary recess in the sign,picture frame, hook, or other item to be mounted on the wall. Themounting bracket has a slot to receive a flat instrument such asscrewdriver to apply a shear force to the adhesive fastener to releaseit from the wall. Although in the first embodiment is directed tomounting a sign, and a second embodiment is directed to a picture frame,it is understood that the mounting brackets in this application can beused to mount signs, picture frames, posters, hooks, or any other itemthat is desired to be attached to a vertical surface such as a wall.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear view of the sign frame with the mounting bracketsremoved.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the sign insert to convey information.

FIG. 3 is a cross section view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the sign frame with the right portion removedwith the mounting bracket inserted into a recess in the rear of the signframe with the bracket in the unlocked position.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the sign frame similar to FIG. 4 except withthe mounting bracket in the locked position.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the mounting bracket positioned as it would beplaced against a wall.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the mounting bracket of FIG. 6 with theadhesive wafer removed.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the mounting bracket.

FIG. 9 is a rear view of the mounting bracket showing the adhesivewafer.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the sign frame with the sign insert removed.

FIG. 11 is a rear view of an alternate embodiment of a picture framewith the mounting brackets removed.

FIG. 12 is a front view of the picture frame of FIG. 11 with the pictureremoved for clarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning first to FIG. 1, there is illustrated the rear view of a wallsign 10. Throughout this application, the reference to a “wall sign” ismeant to include a wall sign, picture frame, wall mounted hook orfastener, or other similar objects that are intended to be releasablyattached to a wall or similar substantially flat surface. There is asign frame 12 having a pair of opposite recessed portions 14 on eitherend of the sign frame 12. There are tabs 15 in the corners of therecessed portion 14 the function of which will be described hereinlater. The sign frame receives a sign insert 13 (FIG. 2) containing theinformation to be conveyed to the observer. The sign insert 13 can bepaper, cardboard, plastic or other material that serves the purpose forwhich it is intended such as providing information to the observer. Asseen in FIG. 3, the recessed portion 14 has a back wall 16 and sidewalls 18. A pair of legs 20 at a free end of the side walls 18 extendinward from the side walls 18. At the ends of the legs 20 are smallupstanding pins 22 that protrude inward from the surface of the legs 20and extend into the recess 14. The legs 20 and the back wall 16 define achannel 24.

There are mounting brackets 30 which are clearly illustrated in FIGS.4-8. As see in FIG. 8, the mounting brackets 30 have a frame or basestructure 31 that has a flat front face 32 and a flat rear face 34.Affixed to the rear surface 34 is an adhesive wafer 36. The adhesivewafer 36 has a front face that has a releasable adhesive like the 3MCommand adhesive products. The front face is covered with a releasablecover sheet when removed, exposes the adhesive surface. The rear face ofthe adhesive wafer is permanently adhesively affixed to the flat rearface 34 of the mounting bracket 30. The adhesive wafer 36 is made from apolyethylene foam that has the rear face having a permanent adhesive andthe front face having the releasable adhesive. The polyethylene foamwith these adhesives is available in the open market with severalsuppliers able to supply the foam having these adhesive characteristics.Also as seen in FIGS. 4-8 there are a pair of arms 38 extending outwardfrom both sides of the mounting brackets 30.

In use, the mounting brackets 30 are inserted into the recessed portions14 in the sign frame 12 with the flat front face 32 placed against theback wall 16 as seen in FIG. 4. The mounting brackets 30 are then pushedupward into the locked position as seen in FIG. 5. The pins 22 engagerecesses 40 on the arms 38 so that the pins 22 are releasably retainedin the recesses 40. This give the user a tactile indication that themounting brackets are correctly positioned in the sign frame when in the“latched” position. It also gives an audible “click” that the mountingbrackets are correctly inserted into the latched position. The arms 38are also closely received between the tabs 15 and legs 20 and the backwall 16 to provide a frictional engagement between these parts to assistin securely holding the mounting brackets in the latched position.

The releasable cover sheet that is over the front face of the adhesivewafer 36 is removed to expose the adhesive surface. The sign frame 12with the exposed releasable adhesive surface is then pushed against thewall to attach the frame 12 to the wall. The sign insert 13 that has thedesired information on it is inserted into a border 41 (FIG. 10) on theface of the sign frame 12 in a normal manner. Other similar means toinsert or attach the sign insert that are known in the art can be used.

In order to remove the sign frame 12 from the wall, the sign frame 12 ispushed vertically upward. This releases the pins 22 from the recesses40, and the arms 38 from the tabs 15 and legs 20 so that the sign frame12 can be removed from the brackets 30. A tool such as a screwdriver ora large coin is inserted into slots 42 in the mounting bracket (FIG. 6).Other tools that can be received in the mounting bracket can be usedprovided that they can be rotated to impart a shear force to themounting bracket 30. A rotative motion is imparted to the tool. Thisimparts a shear force to the adhesive wafer 36 and to the rear face 34and the releasable adhesive surface which releases the adhesive wafer 36from the wall without leaving any residue or damaging the wall. Theapplication of a shear force is critical for releasing the adhesivewafer from the wall without damaging the wall surface. In an alternateembodiment, the slots 42 are replaced with a pair of opposite holes thatreceive a tool having protrusions that engage the opposite holes so thata rotating motion can be imparted to the mounting bracket 30. Otherconfigurations that can replace the slots 42 that can provide a means toapply a shear force to the releasable adhesive surface can include avarious geometric shapes such as hexagonal or square inserts that use anut driver to impart the rotational force. In all other respects thetools operate in the same manner.

FIG. 10 shows a hole 46 in the center of the sign frame 12. When thesign frame 12 is removed from the brackets 30, and a sign insert 13 ismounted in the sign frame border 41, a pencil or similar thin object ispushed through the hole 46 to remove the sign insert 13. This releasesthe sign insert 13 allowing a replacement sign insert 13 to be inserted.This allows quick, easy, and economical replacement of sign inserts.

FIGS. 11 and 12 depict an alternate embodiment of a picture frame 44which utilizes the inventive brackets 30. The picture frame 44 has arecessed portion 14, tabs 15, and legs 20 as described in the firstembodiment. The recessed portion 44 receives the mounting bracket 30which has the adhesive wafer 36 attached to it. In all other respectsthe picture frame is mounted to a wall just as the wall sign 10 wasmounted. Similarly, it is released in the same manner.

In another embodiment, a hook can be manufactured with a rear surfacethat has a recessed portion 14 that receives a mounting bracket 30 asdisclosed in this application. The hook is attached to the mountingbracket 30 which in turn is attached to the wall.

Various other items of varying designs and configurations can be mountedto a wall or flat surface utilizing the inventive bracket. The bracketmust still be received in a complementary recessed portion in the rearof the item.

Thus, there has been provided a mounting bracket for signs and othersimilar items that solves the problems of the prior devices. While theinvention has been described in conjunction with a specific embodiment,it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoingdescription. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the spirit andscope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mounting bracket for releasably mounting anarticle to a substantially flat surface comprising: a frame having asubstantially flat front surface, a substantially flat rear surface, anda thickness; an adhesive member having two sides, a first side securelyattached to the rear surface of the frame and the second side having areleasable adhesive face for attaching to a wall, means on the frontface of the frame for receiving a tool for imparting a rotative force tothe frame for applying a shear force to the releasable adhesive face,the shear force causing the adhesive face to release from the wall;attachment means on the frame for attaching the frame to an article thatis to be mounted on the wall.
 2. The mounting bracket of claim 1,wherein the means on the front face for receiving a tool comprises aslot.
 3. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the means on the frontface for receiving a tool comprises at least one hole.
 4. The mountingbracket of claim 1, wherein the means on the front face for receiving atool comprises a geometric recess.
 5. The mounting bracket of claim 1,wherein the frame has four sides.
 6. The mounting bracket of claim 1,wherein the attachment means on the frame for attaching the frame to anarticle comprises a pair of outstanding arms, one of the outstandingarms extending from one side of the frame and the other outstanding armextending from an opposite side of the frame.
 7. The mounting bracket ofclaim 6, and further comprising a recess on the outstanding arms forreceiving in the recess a part of the article that is to be mounted onthe wall.